[Miss Norris]

I've heard that wild goats in Australia are a big problem for farmers. I wonder how feral goats survive in Australia, where they find a watering hole?

Feral goats are a problem - I've spotted some in a neighbouring property. We have to make sure our fences are in good condition if we don't want our herd to mix. Weekend hunters will shoot them and wild boar which are also a problem. Further west of us it's lucrative to round the ferals up and sell for meat. Goodness knows how people manage that. There is a new name for them and they are now referred to as Rangeland goats. I gather they are extremely hardy and can probably survive longer without much water than more domesticated breeds. We also have a severe problem with wild dogs who have been known to decimate large herds of sheep in a night. I had some goats taken a few years back, but nothing recently - fingers crossed.

 

[Miss Norris]

Thank you - I was admiring your beautiful painted Boers.

 

[GoofyGoat]

Beautiful herd! It's great news that they're making arrangements to keep y'all in water. When our well went out we had to haul water for a month and it was quite the chore. So, I have a glimpse of what you're dealing with and it's no fun. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
With it being so dry do you have parasite problems? I was curious what challenges y'all face besides predators in the never never, or are you not that far inland?

 

[Trollmor]

Those feral goats sound interesting, if we want a breed well adapted to the place. (One of my favourite things!) Is it legal to catch them for making a herd?

 

[Miss Norris]

Those feral goats sound interesting, if we want a breed well adapted to the place. (One of my favourite things!) Is it legal to catch them for making a herd?

Yes it's considered totally legal because they are otherwise considered pests. Roaming free they impact on the land and native animals and are a threat to crop farming. However, once you start herding them eg moving them around between properties or sending to slaughter they come under the same controls we have for stock identification and stock movement etc. The ones I've seen tend to have magnificent horns - very wild and natural.

 

[Miss Norris]

Beautiful herd! It's great news that they're making arrangements to keep y'all in water. When our well went out we had to haul water for a month and it was quite the chore. So, I have a glimpse of what you're dealing with and it's no fun. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
With it being so dry do you have parasite problems? I was curious what challenges y'all face besides predators in the never never, or are you not that far inland?

We are about 5 hours drive inland from Sydney - and have lots of different predators. I lost one of twin kids a few years back when I turned my back on him only to see a wedge-tailed eagle carrying him off... Goanna's will also take kids - they hide high up in the trees and move swiftly to give a very dirty bite. Kangaroos will also get territorial under some conditions and we've lost 2 does who were chased into one of our dams and drowned. Goats will apparently survive snake bite, but I wouldn't want to put it to the test!

We can also have problems with parasites - but we drench regularly.

Our biggest problem at the moment is excessive hoof growth. The ground has become soft and dusty so they're not wearing down naturally on rocks so much, and after kidding the only way I've been able to keep their weight up is to keep them happy in lucerne hay.

 

[Trollmor]

So, you sent me out on the net to search for goanna! What animals there are on this earth! And I learnt a little bit about Dream Time, too, always nice to learn!

Kangaroos - I have often wondered why nobody seems to have bred them, being very adapted to the climate. Here, stags are farmed, even if it is not a big industry. (Which is of course good, big industries are seldom friendly to animals, employees, or environment.)

 

[Miss Norris]

Kangaroos are a protected species here (no surprise), but locally there is a cull every year when numbers get too high. We have large mobs of them living naturally alongside our goats and, despite the lack of natural food for them at the moment, they scavenge lucerne scraps and seem quite content. They are usually quite timid, apart from the males who can be terrifying. If you are partial to carnivorous habits, kangaroo meat is lean and dark, but it's taken a long time to have it available mainstream. Tastewise the closest I can liken it to is a cross between lamb and reindeer meat. The problem for anyone wanting to breed them is containment and space. Adult roos will easily clear a 10' fence. It is not uncommon, especially at night to see upwards of 20 of them on the roads around us and they have not adapted to fear the car. In the quiet early mornings, we will often have a mother or two and their joeys in our yard close to the house.

 

[GoofyGoat]

I have a friend outside of Queensland, she was telling me about the Kangaroos having no fear of vehicles and at times it was like driving an obstacle course. I know Goanna's are big (lizard wise) but never considered they'd be a threat to goats. Is it the bacteria in their mouths that's the problem? I never nought they were venomous.
Thanks for the insight, I love learning about different places and what challenges they have.

 

[Trollmor]

That jumping ability sounds difficult for a breeder, but not impossible. But if they are impossible to make friends with, then of course it is a problem. Thanks for the info! Concerning that taste, it sounds not so far from the taste of goat meat.

I love learning about different places.

So do I!

 

[Trollmor]

Since last time have I heard about bad bush fires in New South Wales. Keep safe!!!

 

[toth boer goats]

:hug:

 

[Miss Norris]

I have a friend outside of Queensland, she was telling me about the Kangaroos having no fear of vehicles and at times it was like driving an obstacle course. I know Goanna's are big (lizard wise) but never considered they'd be a threat to goats. Is it the bacteria in their mouths that's the problem? I never nought they were venomous.
Thanks for the insight, I love learning about different places and what challenges they have.

I believe it is the bacteria - I don't know why, but infection is fast, severe and often fatal.

 

[Miss Norris]

That jumping ability sounds difficult for a breeder, but not impossible. But if they are impossible to make friends with, then of course it is a problem. Thanks for the info! Concerning that taste, it sounds not so far from the taste of goat meat.
So do I!

Not entirely impossible to befriend. My neighbour feeds them - the local mob is especially friendly with him

 

[Miss Norris]

Since last time have I heard about bad bush fires in New South Wales. Keep safe!!!

We are lucky that we are not in the area of the fires which are currently up on the north coast of NSW. The wind has been blowing the smoke easterly out to sea, so no effect out here. Very dire and sad indeed, and it is set to worsen over the next couple of days especially around Sydney - which is a bit alarming. Our local volunteer fire service is away helping on the fireground.

 

[toth boer goats]

:hug:

 

[Trollmor]

Still more frightening reports from New South Wales, like "84 fires going" ... KEEP SAFE!

 

[toth boer goats]

Stay safe, very scary stuff.

 

[Miss Norris]

Thank you for your kind thoughts. We're safe and some distance away from the nearest fire front, but everyone knows someone who is directly impacted unfortunately. We're watching conditions closely in case there's a change in wind direction. The fires seem relentless and many houses lost were apparently already kitted out with their own rooftop sprinkler systems, but these have been no match for this type of horror fire. One fire alone has a perimeter of 1000 kms. Conditions have eased a little overnight, but are expected to worsen again over Friday and the weekend.
:upset:

 

[camooweal]

<<<The problem for anyone wanting to breed them is containment and space. Adult roos will easily clear a 10' fence.>>>

We once worked on a 4000 acre sheep property and when the property alongside came on the market, it was bought by a Pitt Street farmer. The first thing he was going to do was build a big shed in one of his paddocks then get everyone from miles around help him muster all the 'roos on his place, into the shed !!! The shed never left the drawing board but it gave many a good laugh.

There's a little mob of four to six 'roos come and visit now and again. They and the goats just keep an eye on each other when they're in the same paddock - they only stay for a week or so then go again. There's also a wallaby visits sometimes. There's a hayrack out in the paddock for the Nubians so perhaps the 'roos and wallaby help themselves to some hay as well.

We're on the Southern Tablelands and have 16 Anglo Nubians; they're not registered and are just an interest but the cost of hay these days makes life "interesting" !! The hayshed is full plus we've got a ton of pellets and a ton of hay cubes so the Nubians should be right for feed for a while. There's two does to kid next month and all being well, we'll have goat's milk in the fridge again - which will be so much better than the "milk" you can buy in town.